Now this weed has a similar look to a ‘Sweet Pea,’ but unfortunately it is anything but sweet. In fact ‘wicked’ is probably a better description, especially given the deep dark red-purplish tones in the petals. Maybe it would be right at home in the garden of some wicked witch in a fairy tale, but it is anything but welcome in our native environment.
Today Brooke introduces us to ‘Siratro’ a perennial creeping, climbing weed which is ranked as one of the Top 50 priority environmental weeds in Queensland, but it is also a major concern Australia-wide.
To show just how challenging Macroptilium atropurpureum is, just check out the root system on one here that our team recently extracted from a dune area. As you can see Siratro anchors itself very well, making it very challenging to remove, but even more difficult for native vegetation to compete with.
Image Credits:
- Root system: Brooke Senior for Regen Australia
- Banner image: By Dick Culbert from Gibsons, B.C., Canada – Macroptilium atropurpureum, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50051556
- Image on Graphic: By Harry Rose from South West Rocks, Australia – Macroptilium atropurpureum plant4, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40352090
In the meantime, be sure to check out all of Brooke’s other Featured Weeds via the links and slideshow below:
regenaustralia.com.au 
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